Fun and Games

Promotions can be a pain in the ‘A’, but we have to do it. I’ve had to give a lot of thought about this subject, particularly when it comes to the amount of work involved giving away free books. There has been a discussion recently on the merits of giving away our precious books for nothing, which I have to concede is a fair comment. I hate doing it but feel there is no other way, short of expensive advertising, to get my work out there in the eye of the readers. And I’ve been doing that for about six years now. There’s no way of working out just how valuable the ‘free’ way is, but I do know that paying out good money has not always resulted in exceptional sales — BookBub notwithstanding. So I’ve started paying out again as well as going along the freebie route. Currently you can download a host of free books, including one of mine at http://deathbytyping.com/thrillers-killers-and-chillers-24-free-books-from-instafreebie/.

I began knocking my ancient manuscript into shape a couple of weeks ago. It was painful reading through the novel I penned about fifty years ago and trying to bring it up to date. It was much easier when we didn’t have mobile phones, computers, Wi-Fi and a whole panoply of gizmos that the thriller writer could use to whisk the hero through one death defying encounter and another. I could always write historical novels, I suppose, but that would be a cop-out. So where am I with my book? It’s called The Perforated Edge, and will probably keep that title all the way through. I did think of Sentient, but to tell you why would be giving the game away. If I can make sensible progress, I could have it finished by the end of the year. I did think of maybe using it as a short novel, a novella, but I’ve never really been keen on them.

Our Chindi group’s involvement with the Chichester Festival finished last Saturday with a wine and words quiz. I joined in, but my knowledge of wine is about a micron above zero, so I was of very little help to my team. The Shakespeare quiz revealed the fact that the Bard never really figured in my life, apart from a few beers at the Black Swan opposite the Shakespeare theatre in Stratford upon Avon. And oh what a poor showing for the ‘Authors’ quiz. But it all came good in the end; my team, three of us, came second. It was a good evening’s entertainment; we raised almost £90 for the Dyslexia in Action charity, and I managed to have one of my books picked out for a prize (any three books showing on the display stand).

What lies ahead? Well. Some training with the Nick Stephenson’s videos; reading up on the secrets of marketing by Joanna Penn, and a toe in the water Facebook ad, see what I can come up with. Wish me luck!

Useful lessons

The week began with a buzz around the Chindi group (www.chindi-authors.co.uk) because of the Chichester Arts Festival, Our first event was a ‘Crime panel seminar’ in which Christine Hammacott and Helen Christmas joined yours truly for an hour or so talking about the ins and outs of putting together a crime novel. It was a question and answer session, with invited questions from the audience. It went well and we even managed to sell a few books.

The following evening, Chindi put on a ghost tour around Chichester, masterfully organised by Julia Macfarlane of the Bognor Writers Group. Julia is also one of our members. There was a lot of good feedback from that and, mercifully, the weather was warm enough to make it a pleasant evening.

On Thursday we had a “Self-publishing made easy” class. Almost like an oxymoron that; self-publishing can be hard, but at least there was some excellent advice for those who turned out for the event.

Today we have been holding a Creative Writing Workshop, and this evening we are rounding our week off with a quiz: a good way to round off a fairly successful week.

At the beginning of the week I was featured on Karen Ingalls website as a guest blogger. You can read the article at www.kareningalls.blogspot.com. I talk about my latest book, Where the Wicked Dwell, and a little of myself. I have also been featured on Malcolm Richards’ website being asked ten questions. You can see that at https://www.malcolmrichardsauthor.com/blog/2017/6/21/ten-questions-with-michael-parker.

I have also been busy redesigning a book jacket for Past Imperfect. I want to make it look more like a romance rather than a kind of dark thriller. My PhotoShop skills are limited, but I’m having great fun learning and making mistakes. I have already changed the jacket on A Covert War, once again using my PS skills. No doubt there will always be room for improvement, but I’ll still hold on to the truism that it’s the interior of the book that’s important.

This week my wife and I have been taking advantage of the good weather like so many of us. Gardening has figured prominently in that as well as walking the dog along Pagham beach, but yesterday we had lunch with my wife’s brother and his wife at a pub called The Fox Goes Free. Unusual name for a pub, but the meal was good, as was the weather. It’s situated about ten miles from us in the countryside just north of Goodwood.

I’m also looking ahead to some promotion. I have signed up for a one month promotion with the Kindle Book Review, and also something at the end of this month with Choosy Bookworm. A little different from BookBub I must admit, but I can’t always fork out substantial sums of money for one day promos. Time will tell whether my low-priced options are beneficial. I have noticed a lot of promotion sites are slapping big discounts on their product. It must mean that business is tough, and indie authors are getting a little sparing about where they spend their money. But I’m not concerned about other authors; it’s the readers I want to engage with. Hopefully I’ll get there in time. Wish me luck!

Virtually Public

This week I am a guest on the Karen Ingall’s website, blogging about my latest book Where the Wicked Dwell. I will be sending a free link for the book to anyone who leaves a comment after my article. You can see it here: http://www.kareningalls.blogspot.com.

It’s a big week here in Chichester as the Arts & Literary festival begins. Our writers group, Chindi, will be doing their bit, beginning with a Crime panel seminar tomorrow evening where I, along with Helen Christmas and Christine Hammacott, will be doing a talk on writing crime novels. We are all pleased for Helen because her London gangland thriller, Beginnings, has climbed into the top ten (paid) rankings on Amazon. (ASIN: B0078L8858). It’s always good to see a fellow indie author make a success of their work — makes you a little envious too, particularly when your own books are struggling. Later this week I will be guesting for Malcolm Richard on his blog, so what with virtual and actual appearances in public, I might find my book sales rising a little.

I’ve been busy revising some of my book jackets. Well, having a look at them and seeing how and if I can improve them. I enjoy doing it, even though my artistic skills are not at the level of professional designers. I have looked through the Amazon best sellers for inspiration, but quite frankly, I just don’t seem to find it there. Have they all been professionally designed I wonder? I am also tackling the knotty problem of margins. There are recommendations on line, but there’s nothing like holding the book in your hand and seeing how close, or not, you are to getting it right.

My plan to write a fast paced thriller by the end of this summer has been put on hold. Prevarication is the reason why: the bane of most writers I believe. I keep promising myself I will do it, but other things get in the way. I can’t blame anyone. I could try blaming the dog, or my wife. Or maybe the hot weather even? No, I thought not.

I can’t let this week’s blog go by without mentioning the Tower Block fire in London. Towering Inferno is the only way to describe it. I can only imagine the horror that the victims went through before the flames engulfed them. But now we are about to be engulfed by the extreme left wing activists who are calling for “action” against the Tory government, and are planning to take to the streets. No doubt they will be smashing property, looting shops and setting places on fire without seeing the irony in their actions. At church yesterday, we prayed for the families of those who died and also prayed that those who govern us will come up with the right decisions. No doubt those activists would mock us for not taking decisive action. Sad people indeed.

On a brighter note; one of my favourite sports is on TV tonight: Speedway. It’s the British Final, contested by twenty brave men (boys really) who do what a lot of us older ones would love to do, but probably never had the time not the courage to race around a small track at sixty miles an hour on bikes with no gears and no brakes. But back to the gentler art of writing. Fingers crossed I will see more book sales this week. Wish me luck!